Research Your Doctorate. Choose Your School. Get Your Doctoral Degree.
Whether your passion is chemical engineering or special education, a doctoral degree in your chosen field is a crowning achievement. Getting a PhD or one of the myriad of doctoral degrees available is a rigorous process with big payoffs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that, on average, a person with a doctoral degree earns 30 percent more than someone with only a bachelor's degree. With Baby Boomers retiring from postsecondary teaching appointments and technology developing at an exponential rate, highly qualified professionals are needed in our universities and workforce.
Which PhD is Right for You?
Part of the challenge is figuring out which PhD degree program is for you--or if a PhD is even the right doctorate for your career goals. The differences between a professional doctorate like a PsyD in Psychology and an academic doctorate like a PhD in Psychology are marked--and these nuances are not exclusive to the field of psychology. Nearly every academic discipline has multiple doctoral degrees available, which is why your PhD research starts before you enroll in a doctorate degree program.
In addition to deciding between the DBA, EdD, PhD, PsyD, and other alphabetic variations, you'll also need to decide between an online degree program and a traditional campus-based doctoral degree. According to the Sloan Consortium, a non-profit organization that advocates online education and funds research, online enrollment doubled to 4 million students between 2002 and 2007. As more students embrace distance learning and more high-caliber online degree programs become available, university faculty and employer acceptance has increased. Additionally, more than one-third of public university faculty have taught an online course and more than half recommend them to students--definitely a good sign if you're planning a career in academe. Though in the past your career path may have required a more traditional campus-based doctorate, you may be surprised to find out you now have online options as well.
- Education
- Business
- Health professions and related clinical sciences
- Public administration and social services
- Engineering
- Psychology
- Social sciences and history
- Computer and information sciences
- Visual and performing arts
- Biological and biomedical sciences
You can find out which master's degrees are available in each of these disciplines through WorldWideLearn.com's Master Degree Guides. Each guide explains various types of master's degrees and their possible specialties, common career paths, and more.
Which Master's Degree Program is Right for You?
Once you have an idea of the master's degree you'd like to pursue, you need to do plenty of research to find your perfect program. First, you'll need to decide if an online degree program or a campus program is better for your learning style. Not sure what you're better suited for? Take our Bricks or Clicks assessment to find out. You'll also want to determine which other program factors such as accreditation, size, or faculty is the most important to you.
Doctorate Articles
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Academic Doctoral Programs: Topping Off a Lifetime of Academic Achievement
An academic doctorate is more than just a fitting capstone for years of study; it's a testament to your knowledge in a given field--and quite an achievement. Learn more about online and on-campus PhD programs in liberal arts, engineering, and more. Read more |
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Other articles in the Doctorate Section |
- History of the Doctorate: From Auspicious Beginnings to Online Doctorate Degree
- International Doctoral Degrees: Globalizing Your Education
- Learn the Truth! The 7 Biggest Myths About Online PhD Programs
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- Your Guide to Professional Doctoral Degrees
- Options for Graduate School Financial Aid
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